HAVING AN UNPLUGGED WEDDING? 5 THINGS TO CONSIDER

Have you been worrying about guests being glued to their cellphones during your ceremony? Are you a bit tense about photos being shared on Facebook or Instagram before you’re ready to spread the good news? There’s always been amateur photographers at weddings, and it’s not just the “photographer uncle” stereotype that’s upsetting couples with unflattering photos. It’s how easy and fast it now is to get those photos on social media that’s causing the biggest issues. If this is causing you stress, then an unplugged wedding might be the solution.

What is an unplugged wedding?

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An unplugged wedding is where the guests are asked to turn off their electronic devices such as cellphones and cameras during the ceremony (or for the entire wedding). This is to ensure people actually pay attention to the wedding, and to guarantee photographs from the wedding don’t make it onto social media prematurely.

There’s different ways to go about having an unplugged wedding:

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Some couples may just ask for no sharing on social media (so guests can still take pictures)

You might ask for cellphones and cameras to be turned off during the ceremony only

Others may ask for a complete ban from using any devices, for the whole day.

5 Reasons Why You Should Have An Unplugged Wedding:

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1. Social Media is Antisocial

Is there actually anything less ‘social’ than having the people around you staring into their phones? Don't let cellphones and socail media be a barrier to everyone actually being social. Your wedding day is about connecting two families and groups of friends. All of your close family and friends will be at your wedding, and the moment should be about you all as a group, rathering than posting updates to everyone else who wasn't there.

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2. Your guests will be fully present

Do you really want your guests on their phones during your cermeony or throughout your wedding speeches? Not having technology means everyone is paying attention to what is going on. When you look at your guests after being pronnounced married, you will want to see their fces - not the back of their phones. After all, you have planned a huge day for everyone; experiencing it through the screen of a phone or camera is just not the same as being wholly present.

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3. People will actually talk to each other

Not having devices means people can have conversations with each other instead of looking at their phones. Assure your guests that your photographer will take a lot of candid shots of everyone, so guests don’t have to worry about snapping their own photos or interrupting conversations to take photos.

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4. Avoid social media awkwardness

Do you really want your friends-of-friends, frenemies, and highschool crushes to catch their first glimpse of you in all your wedding day spleandour via a blurry, over exposed cellphone upload to social media? Give yourself the chance to be the first to post about your wedding day bliss with your sneak peek professional photos after the wedding day. That way you can censor the first impressions on social media.

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5. Let the photographers do their best job

You may have already seen some of the terrible photos taken at weddings where the photographers’ shot has been compromised by cameras, cell-phones and even (the horror!) selfie-sticks, but if not, be warned. Not only will you enjoy your photos more without your guests’ LCD screens present, but chances are your guests will enjoy the day more too. You want your guests to understand that you want them to be there and enjoy the moment. You’ve hired professional photographers for your wedding, those will be the best pictures, you don’t need your guests also chronicling your day.